She added: “It does make me angry on behalf of younger women, because if a young woman who might think politics is something they are interested in, if they write something about me that is really derogatory, really personal, if that makes them less likely to want to come into politics then that is a real shame.

“I don’t want to sound too pious about this, but if I can help change that for the women coming after me then I am really keen to do that.”